Matt Ryan's Staging Area

I ran as a first timer and had a pretty difficult time with this race. Madison capped off ~5 marathons in ~7 weeks so I have been pushing it this fall and had to run in my B/ C shoes after tossing my worn out A shoes. It made a big difference for me and I definitely could have picked better footwear.

Pros: Good scenery, well supported, nice shirt, easy expo, nice medal.
Cons: Narrow opening 5 miles and I seriously regretted showing up late and being in the slower corrals. Very annoying. Conditions were wet and a lot of the sidewalk/ trail miles were slippery. Very hilly course particularly the back half so be advised.

I ran as a first timer as part of the I-35 challenge. I metered my effort knowing I had to run again the next day.

Very well supported marathon through lots of city and surrounding neighborhoods. I was surprised how well supported the race was at all turns. Hilly race as other have commented on but I felt like you got equal parts downhill so it balanced. Opening chute was a little tight as were some of the cities segments. All in all great race and enjoyed Kansas City.

For starters thank you to the race directors for allowing a 2023 deferral at no extra cost. I also flew in from Atlanta and greatly appreciated the AM bib pick up. Very flexible especially compared to a lot of other races.

Cold start to the morning made colder by the first 8 miles being in the shade of the mountains. Even with gloves my fingers were numb and only thawed out after getting out into the sun around mile 9. Rolling hills throughout, you’re almost always at a slight grade up or down. Beautiful views of the valley and mountain though with wildfires it was tough to make out the mountains well. Surprised myself with a PR at altitude. Highly recommend.

Had a great time running in OKC this weekend. Was impressed by everything: the city support, the expo, the course and the goodies. Surprisingly hilly course with equal parts incline and decline. I felt like the 1st half was more downhill than the 2nd though that could have been fatigue. Weather was better than forecasted; cool and overcast all morning after the prior evening downpour. Swag included a nice, modest medal, purple tech shirt and white finisher tank top.

Missed a PR by three seconds but mental victory as I had a pit stop at mile 9 and know if not for that I would have been <3:35.

I am surprised I only finished 2 minutes slower than my prior PR of 3:35 given how hilly and hot this race was. The Cowtown was probably my best-raced marathon so far so I’m hopeful for future performances this year.

Unseasonably warm day (high 50s to low 70s) and a relentless undulating course. Some very long stretches of uphill, complete with full sun exposure– little shade. Lots of crowd support and good aid stations which were welcome. Overall a highly challenging marathon experience.

I ran the AC marathon as a first timer. Expo was modest and quick which I appreciated. Nice long-sleeve tech shirt. Start was 7 miles through streets / suburbs, 8-16 was almost all boardwalk– fantastic. 16-21 were very windy and challenging, long straightaways through streets. Wind in your face for miles. You get it at your back the final boardwalk stretch 22-finish so I think it works out. A huge PR for me so proud, highly recommend this race for New Jersey.

Great mix of scenic lake & forest trail offset with some well-produced city streets. The town came out to support in force. Was worried about the double loop but only really dreaded mile 19-23 which was sun-exposed on the side of a road. It all worked out. PR by 6 seconds, go figure.

Enjoyed my quick trip to Nashville to check off Tennessee. I drove from Atlanta on Friday which was a hair under four hours. I tried to get through the expo as quickly as possible which was a bit of a challenge given the a) volume of people and b) labyrinth the built to trap you with the vendors.

Easy to get to the start: parked at Nissan and walked just over a mile to the line. Course was quite narrow at times but I just relaxed and embraced it. The other complication was, like many other big marathons, they released the half at the same time (easily ~80% of the total participants. llot of walkers). Between narrow roads and the absolute flood of people this one might be tough to PR unless you get in the first corral. Great race production with a band every mile and lots of volunteers with water / gatorade…always appreciated. Was a little weird at mile 16 where the half rejoined the full and it became a zoo again. Nashville was hillier than expected so it was a good fun challenge.

Expo was pretty light but well organized. Gear was a long sleeve tech shirt that I can’t tell if it’s custom for marathon or half.

Course was challenging. You’re either going up hill or down hill the entire time. You’re rarely going flat for longer than a track-length. Water / powerade every ~2 miles and pit stops maybe every 3-4. Good support levels that die out after the half (clearly the premier event). I think the race gives you a good cross section of the city with plenty to look at. Atlanta is pretty spread out so that’s saying something.

Production was thorough: emailed us a race guide with key dates & times, very good instructions. Stayed at an Airbnb 0.3 mi from the finish and morning bus pickup. No issues whatsoever. Had 30 minutes to kill once arriving before the race began. As others have said, flat course the whole way. Was a cool cloudy morning that gradually turned into steady rain for my last ~8-9 miles. Nice cotton shirt and an opening seashell for a medal.

Loved running this– has been on my radar for years. Was very hopeful it would go on this year. As others have commented the RD kept people updated on FB. For many months there was not much to give updates on which I imagine was frustrating for some…I just checked once a month and put it out of mind.

Expo was modest, one complaint is they were all out of men’s medium and large shirts by the time I got there. Seemed a little absurd since those are probably most common shirt sizes. Coming in the mail– oh well. Wanted to wear it home like I usually do. $15 full lobster at Chesapeake and Maine across the street made it easier.

Race itself was really neat: race start at the bandstand/ beachhead and first 5 miles in & around the town, then up the boardwalk. Tremendous to see the sun come up over the ocean horizon. Very nice, easy trail run for much of it after that. My one complaint is the last ~4 miles were quite dull…you do a little forest/ farm out & back. Rural DE is pretty but I needed something more to keep me going. I did not stay for the party as I had a flight to catch, but the medal is great. High marks all around.

Ran the 2021, the 3rd time in 44(?) years the race did not cross into Canada. Weather was tremendous, high 40s and overcast. Very mild mostly flat course that took you through some lovely residential areas and the downtown space. Lots of local turnout to support. Race expo was great, swag was very nice: long sleeve tech shirt, long face mask/ head bib and some other goodies. Production was very impressive, this is definitely a premium racing experience. Nearly PR’d if it weren’t for 3 inopportune pit stops– oh well.

Highly recommend.

First time in Louisville and running the race. Deferred registration from 2020, first non-virtual marathon since last February.

Overall I really enjoyed the race and the city. Event staff were responsive over email which was helpful for me coming in from out of town. Same-day packet pickup was a breeze. Course was very well marked and self-serve water was available throughout the day. Really nice scenic trail on basically a levy on the Indiana side of the river.

Only complaint would be for a “Kentucky Derby” marathon I felt like it was Kentucky and Derby in name only. Maybe it was different in non-COVID years. Also kind of funny that only 10 of the 26.2 miles are in KY…rest is Jefferson/ New Albany IN.

Not a highly challenging run. Lots of aid stations with water and Gatorade at each one, GU was given 4-5 times. Not a lot of scenery until about halfway through the marathon. The space center and gardens are cool, everything before and after is suburban.

Only complaint is at the halfway point of the marathon I guess they open the floodgates for the half marathon. I was baffled when I turned the corner and there were suddenly several hundred people around and in front of me. Pretty distracting, but It didn’t bother me that much.

My first ever marathon. I did horribly, but finished. Very scenic and well organized. Weather was lovely and cooperative. It was easy to get to the race and a lot of work clearly went into the post-race activities and hospitality. Couldn’t have asked for a better introduction race for marathoning.